Home
by L122yTorch
Summary: Olivia hasn't seen Elliot in two years. It's as if he's disappeared completely, so how will she react when he comes back into her life with some interesting news for Olivia.
1. Chapter 1

The job was starting to take its toll on Olivia. She stood under the fluorescent bathroom lights and watched the wrinkles slowly forming on her face in the mirror; bags sagged beneath tired eyes. And splashing cold water on her face didn't bring it back to life.

It was the end of another tumultuously draining week. New York City was abuzz with the fleeting excitement of the weekend. She could feel it through the walls, even though she was still at work. It seemed that everyone else was out there living their lives while Liv was hitting the elevator button, on her way back to an empty apartment.

The night was ablaze with street and car lights. Dark shadows of hopeful groups moved through the streets as Olivia weaved through the traffic between her and her place. Loud music pulsed from side doors and rang out from passing cars. Even though she was driving forward, Olivia was stuck. Exhausted by an emotionally draining job, lonely from a nonexistent social life and numb from the constant process of ignoring the things that gnawed at her.

Of course Elliot was one of those things. It was like he had fallen off the face of the Earth. They had exchanged a few emails…small talk. But she hadn't seen him in a couple of years. She felt betrayed. She felt left behind.

She didn't even notice the glow of the green light cast on her hands on the steering wheel. Car horns began to sound behind her and snapped loose her train of thought. It was the last red light before home.

The car beeped as she hit the lock button. The key whined as it met with the lock. The elevator button leapt to light with the press of a finger. The ride seemed long up to her floor. And with every step she felt more drained. Her focus was on the keys in her hand. The cold metal and jagged edges of each key as they were turned between warm fingers. That's why she failed to see him at she rounded the corner.

Finally looking up she him. Her feet stopped moving and a long blink reassured a weary mind that he was real. There, next to her door, was Elliot.

"El," her lips whispered as she moved towards him. The closer she got, the more real he was. He smelled sweet and musky and was wearing a bright blue button down shirt that nearly glowed in the dimly lit hallway.

A sigh of relief heaved out of Elliot's chest as he saw his ex-partner round the corner. She stood still at first and then moved towards him. She stopped a half a foot away and neither said a word. Elliot may not be the touchy feely type, but he found his arms reaching out and wrapping around Olivia. It felt like home.


	2. Chapter 2

They broke the embrace. It was far too short but Elliot's stiff body pulled away and her desire to hold him longer couldn't hold him there. "What are you…doing here?" she managed to get out.

His bright blue eyes shifted from her gaze to the floor. He leaned against the locked door, his palm pressed against the creaking wood. "Can we talk inside?" Cryptic as always. She separated the right key from the rest and moved to open the door. She could feel his breath on her shoulder. He didn't back away as she unlocked the door.

They walked into the dark apartment, She could feel his presence behind her. She could tell where he was even though she couldn't see. The light stung her eyes as she flipped the switch.

It still didn't seem real, Elliot was standing in her living room….

Suddenly she felt betrayel rise within her. She turned towards him with furrowed brows and accusations forming behind readied lips. "Where the fuck have you been?" was the first thing she could think to say.

He didn't look surprised. "I know Liv." "You just…wait, what?" she stopped in her tracks. "I know what I did. I ran away from the job, but I was also running towards my family." He was biting his lip out of nervousness and leaning against the back of her worn couch. His hands were folded in a knot. A moment of silence passed between them. "…but I shouldn't have…just left you in the lurch."

Tears stung behind her eyes, she walked towards him with purpose. "I would take a bullet for you," her index finger pointed at him, her voice nearly quivering but caught by her resolve. "And I would take one for you," he replied calmly. It was so unlike him. "You have every reason to be upset Liv. I was the one stable thing in your life and I left."

She could feel the tears begging to be let go, burning behind her brown eyes. When he left her world stopped. She never realized just how much he meant until he was gone and over the past two years she was slowly trying to heal from his absence just to have him standing in front of her ripping open that wound.

His hand began to nervously rub the back of his neck. "I was traumatized Liv. I needed to get away from the job, and you were part of the job." "So you needed to get away from me?" she snapped. "No, that's not what I'm saying!" "What are you saying?" "I'm saying that…everything was spiraling out of control." "I leant on my family to get me through."

He stopped talking and hung his head. Olivia could swear that she was seeing the shimmer of a tear falling to the floor. "But…I was leaning on an already broken marriage. We got a divorce a year ago, and believe it or not, it felt good. But I feel awful for my kids," his voice cracked.

Every ounce of anger she had melted away. She may be suffering but so was he. "Why…why didn't you ever come to me?" she whispered.

"Because I knew you were hurting. And I knew you'd be angry. And I didn't want to be talked back into joining the force." "That's bullshit El," she blurted. "Tell me the truth."

He shifted, suddenly aware of a tightness in his chest of how constricting his clothes were and how intense her gaze was. She looked hopeful but broken, worn and frustrated but with a glimmer of determination. He walked in a small line, turning his back to her but she turned him back around with a vice grip to the arm.

"The truth is Liv…it scared me how much I missed you. How much I thought about you. I thought it would get better," he said frustrated. "But it never did…and I felt like…I had to see you,"

His breathing was jagged and he was standing far too close to her. The room seemed smaller, it felt like the floor was moving. A hot hand reached up to his face, soft fingers dragged down his cheekbones and a thumb moved over his lips and down his chin.

He moved even closer to her, feeling the warmth eminate from her face, the anticipation of a decade's worth of emotion wrapped in a single kiss. His arms wrapped around her again. Her lips were unbearably soft and he couldn't get enough.


End file.
